College of Education

Professor Taking Higher Education to a New Dimension

By: April Chavez on February 8, 2016

Dr. Jon McNaughtan, Assistant Professor of Higher Education in the College of Education, is taking his
class, Funding in Higher Education, to a whole new dimension – the 3rd Dimension to
be exact. With assistance from the University Libraries' SHAPES (Sharing and Helping
Academics Prepare for Educational Success) program, which provides design and printing
of abstract concepts in three dimensions, McNaughtan is using a 3D model that represents
funding in higher education to teach his students exactly how public institutions
are funded.

Funded by a grant from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and
in partnership with the University of Houston, the SHAPES program is the first of
its kind, providing 3D model design and printing services specifically to faculty
members across campus completely free of charge for the duration of the grant.

"Our goal is to increase access to resources for our faculty," said Associate Librarian
Ryan Litsey. "While a 3D model isn't your typical library resource, we are creating
models on demand for faculty that will allow them to better serve their students."

3D printers and their models are being explored as ways to create excitement, complement
curriculums, and increase access to objects such as animal anatomies or molecular
models that may not be readily available to educational institutions. When asked how
and why he wanted to utilize this technology, Dr. McNaughtan said, "Students often
think that their tuition is what keeps an institution up and running. My goal with
this project was to present them with the reality of all of the different stakeholders
and the complexity of funding in higher education in a more concrete and hopefully
easier to understand way."

Scott Ridley, Dean of the College of Education, is a strong believer in the value of partnerships,
whether they are across the state and nation, or across campus. "Education is evolving
and it must include active partnerships and collaboration. I am excited that our faculty
are exploring new ways to work with other departments on campus. This resource offered
by the University Library opens up enormous possibilities for news ways to engage
learners," said Ridley.

Dr. McNaughtan isn't the only one on campus using this innovative 3D approach to teaching.
SHAPES services are in higher demand than ever as word of mouth about their services
has spread across campus. Thus far, the 3D printing services have been utilized for
a wide variety of teaching applications, from music to linguistics, from nutrition
to chemistry, and even finds the staff of the department printing a four-foot, fully
functioning model of a wind turbine.

As part of the partnership, all model designs created at Texas Tech University and
the University of Houston are housed in an online database which allows each university
to easily share designs without having to duplicate work. Most of the design work
of the 3D models is being completed by current TTU students from a variety of disciplines
including engineering and architecture. The students have been able to take what they
have learned through the SHAPES program and apply their new skills and knowledge in
their own classroom experiences.

The SHAPES program plans to conduct research in the near future as to how these 3D
models affect and alter student learning in the classroom.

"These models are making it easier to visualize abstract concepts, which not only
appeals to the different learning styles of our students, but also allows us to consider
how these models can help students with disabilities, such as a visual impairment,
put a form to diagrams and models from textbooks," said Litsey.

Litsey serves as the primary investigator for the SHAPES grant along with co-investigators
Nora Dethloff, Kenny Ketner, Ryan Cassidy, Matt Mceniry, Le Yang, and Camille Thomas.
Other members of the grant include Katie Devet and Chisholm Allen, both library staff,
and Carolina Aguilar, a student assistant.

When the grant expires at the end of this fiscal year, 3D services will continue to
be offered at a nominal fee for all faculty. Typically, models can be printed in 12-52
hours depending on the size and complexity of the desired model. For more information
about the SHAPES program or their services, you can email libraries.shapes@ttu.edu. For information on graduate programs in the College of Education, contact gradrecruitment.educ@ttu.edu.